1997 Saturn SC Reviews - Page 3 of 10

1997 Saturn SC SC2 1.9L DOHC from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Just did the clutch which was going since we got the car. We suspect this car has had a lack of professional maintenance before we got it.

Currently she needs an upper motor mount it's cracked.

A small suspension piece in the back is broken.

A tie rod.

A tail light that likes to flap in the breeze.

A timing belt.

Also suspect the Catalytic converter is plugged.

Clear coat on spoiler has started peeling since I got the car. We are going to sand it down and use some store bought clear to fix it.

General Comments:

I find this to be a great car it was quick with a bad clutch and it's unreal with a new one. Really quick little car for a 4cyl and it sounds good with the dual aftermarket exhaust.

We find it to be small as we have a young kid. I also do not find it to be very comfortable. It's a super nice looking car the colour of my car is the black gold metallic which I find is a very difficult colour to keep shiny.

1997 Saturn SC SC2 1.9L from North America

Faults:

I've had two Saturn SCs. The first one was a 1994 SC2 twin cam with a five speed. I bought it from Goodwill for 500. It was ugly and dirty, the interior was trashed, the leather was nonexistent. the sunroof leaked and there was no carpet.

I put a battery, water pump, and a tune-up and I drove that car est 40,000 (the odometer was broken at 146,174) miles problem free. It did burn oil but it had well over 200k on the motor, and it never left me stranded.

I always checked the oil and coolant at least once a week, and only added 1/2 a quart every 600-800 miles.

I drove it like a race car at every red light, and wouldn't shift till 6500 rpms, and it never died and I never changed the oil either.

I now have a 1997 SC with the twin cam motor and I bought this one for $460 with 185k. Now it's got 205k, cold air and runs good. I would buy a Saturn, only a stick and only a twin cam, and I wouldn't pay a lot but run it hard.

General Comments:

They're good little cars, but you have to check the oil and coolant (91-95), and hot wire the fan so they don't run hot, or change to an electric EGR; they will last a lot longer.

The 94 twin cam loves to spike the temp to 3/4, then the fan comes on, then back to 1/4, but if you go to an electric EGR, it fixes that problem.

10th Mar 2008, 13:23

Wow, I think we were really lucky. We had a Saturn SL2 that we drove just over 100,000 miles and traded it in. We never had any expensive problems, but I'm now seeing people with horrendous issues pop up. The new Astra cannot get here soon enough if Saturn wants to save their small-car market share!